Socceroos gear up to play Greece

Reporter: Geoff Hutchison

KERRY O'BRIEN: Both the Prime Minister, Mr Howard, and Labor Leader, Mr Beazley, find common ground tomorrow, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. But it won't be Aussie Rules that brings them together. It'll be the round ball game grabbing national attention when the Socceroos play Greece as a final limber-up game for the World Cup in Germany next month. It's the first outing for the Socceroos since their historic victory over Uruguay in November, and nearly 100,000 football fans will be at the MCG to see them take on the 2004 champions of Europe. For coach Guus Hiddink, the match represents an opportunity to fine tune his squad for the World Cup, against a team highly regarded, but bitterly disappointed at failing to qualify for Germany. Geoff Hutchison reports.

GRAEME ARNOLD, ASSISTANT COACH: The players, it's the first time they've played together since 16 November against Uraguay and we're working them hard at the moment to make sure that they understand and remember what we did to beat a side like Uraguay and you saw maybe by that session there they've connected very quickly. They remember exactly what we were working on beforehand.

GEOFF HUTCHISON: In less than three weeks, a slightly portly Dutchman will guide Australia into its first World Cup final's appearance in 32 years. Guus Hiddink has a fondness for football's big-time. The bigger the challenge, the better he seems to like it. In 1996, he steered and Netherlands into the semifinals and in 2002, did the same with the much less fancied South Koreans. And last year, just four months after he signed on to coach the Socceroos, he engineered that extraordinary triumph over Uraguay.

GUS HIDDINK, COACH: We are very happy to be on the world stage, these players after such a long time. But I know them now enough that they are also very, very ambitious to go into the second round.

GRAEME ARNOLD: A lot of people think that he's a disciplinian and he rules with the iron fist. He doesn't do that. He's a great communicator, the players know exactly what their roles are in the team. He does bring a lot of experience, but he's brought a lot of confidence to the players.

MARK SCHWARZER, GOALKEEPER: We've got high expectations. We're going into the World Cup with the self-belief and confidence that, you know, we can show people that we can play football and cause some upsets and, you know, we're quietly confident we can do the job we need to do to progress.

GEOFF HUTCHISON: But before the Socceroos hit the ground in Germany, there's the small matter of fronting up to the MCG tomorrow night to play Euro 2004 champions, Greece. A sort of full-on farewell in front of nearly 100,000 people, many of whom will be cheering for the visitors.

GEOFF HUTCHISON: Despite drawing huge cheering, chanting flare-lighting crowds at training, this Greek side is not quite all-conquering. It failed to qualify for the World Cup and is only in Australia because, quite frankly, it has nothing better to do.

ANGE POSTECOGLOU, YOUNG SOCCERROOS COACH: They would much prefer to be here as European champions going to the World Cup. I still think there's some pride at stake. From the game's point of view on Friday night, I think it's probably a better thing for us. They're going to go out there and take great pride in showing they're Europe champions and they'll want to show what took them to those heights.

GEOFF HUTCHISON: Whoever wins or loses tomorrow night, Melbourne's Greek community will have much to be satisfied about. Were it not for Europe's post-war migrants, the game might never have taken root here. Ange Postecoglou came to Australia from Greece as a five-year-old. Today, he's the coach of the Socceroos.

ANGE POSTECOGLOU: It was the Greek who is played a significant role in that. They kept it going. They had a vision and I guess for them it was a slice of home that they just wanted to keep with them at all times, regardless of what everyone else was telling them. By keeping it going, at time that flame just flickered and you think it's about to go out and all of a sudden we've got a raging bushfire happening.

GEOFF HUTCHISON: This week it's been hard not to be caught up in the wave of goodwill which now surrounds the Socceroos. Captain Mark Viduka who worried that his missed penalty nearly cost Australia its World Cup place, is clearly delighted that long years of hard effort are now being acknowledged at home.

MARK VIDUKA, CAPTAIN: I was at my sister's house this morning and the kids were eating Weetbix and I seen the Socceroos on the cover of the Weetbix pack. That's never happened. I was just talking to the boys, who would have thought 10, 15 years ago that we would be playing, Australia would be playing soccer at the MCG in front of 100,000, sold out in 24, 48 hours or something like that.

GEOFF HUTCHISON: The challenge ahead of the Socceroos is enormous. In Germany, Australia has been grouped with the champions Brazil, Japan and Croatia. If indeed the fairytale is to continue, they'll be hoping that goose can lay another golden egg.

GUUS HIDDINK: My players they respect a lot to the Brazilian players and also their way of playing. But this is not a team which is, yeah, easily intimidated.